


Once Upon a Wartime

by Vekter



Category: Katawa Shoujo
Genre: Carnival, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Librarian - Freeform, Making out in a ferris wheel, Nudity, Reunion, Romance, and then leave for like a year, paranoid little shits who don't appreciate their girlfriend, really sweet bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:15:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11493942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vekter/pseuds/Vekter
Summary: Kenji's dark past is revealed as... well, not quite that dark, but if he's going to make up for lost time, he's going to need the help of the Master of Romance. This won't end well.





	1. Thousand Yard Stare

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this five years ago, excuse me if it sucks.
> 
> The game never explicitly states who Kenji's ex was, but Yuuko kinda seems like the only one who could put up with him for more than a few minutes. Plus, it's cute.

Yuuko sighed in frustration as she tossed and turned in her bed, once again failing miserably to get any quality sleep. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not get any rest, her mind either worrying about school or work or, more often than not, wondering whatever happened to her boyfriend.

Sure, it had been a few years, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. He was a sweet man, really, but had just left her for some unknown reason. She just woke up one morning and he was gone...

Yuuko closed her eyes and tried to remember. A park. A verdant, bright-green field of grass. Her and her lover, walking hand in hand, talking about the future. It was a chilly day, and Yuuko had given him her scarf earlier. He wore it with pride, wrapping an arm around her waist.

It sounded cheesy, but it was one of the best moments of her life. Just the two of them; no worries, no concerns. All that mattered was that they were together, and the rest would work itself out in time.

She remembered that day vividly; they had gone to lunch, then decided to just walk around town, seeing the sites and talking with each other. As they walked, she stopped him, removing his glasses and looking into his deep eyes. She kissed him; the first time she had kissed anyone, and said the words she would never forget:

“I love you, Kenji Setou”.

As Yuuko remembered, tears began to roll down her face, staining the pillow under them. The memory was happy, yes, but it reminded her of what she had lost, and what she needed to find again. She sobbed as she thought back to that night: they returned to her apartment and she gave herself to him; he was her first. The next morning, he was gone.

The memory was almost too painful to think about, but it brought her some strange comfort; despite being the end of their relationship, it was a good memory: The feeling of him wrapping his arms around her, making her feel safe and warm... The feeling of his breath against her neck as they slept. Despite the outcome, that night was amazing.

She finally stopped crying, closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep, thinking only of Kenji and wondering what happened to then man she loved.


	2. Appeasement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenji's existence at Yamaku has to be the best-kept secret ever. That, or Yuuko really never does leave the library.

“Hisao, I'm telling you. Okay, listen. The Americans developed this thing called HAARP, right? It's supposed to be some interstellar microphone or some shit, but they're full of it. People who live around the thing complain of headaches and I've even heard of a few becoming sterile. I'm convinced it's a feminist plot to control the most powerful nation in the world!”

Here we go again. On another one of his tangents. Kenji Setou, the person I'm almost sad to call my best friend here, is a strange man. As we walk, he continues to explain his latest crazy conspiracy theory. I let him ramble as we approached the library.

Knowing his disdain for the hall of books, and figuring that he probably had no idea where we were, I neglected to mention our current location to him. However, his constantly increasing voice as he neared the apex of his tangent (something about the American president being a puppet for the feminist regime) had me worried that we would disturb the library's patrons.

As if reading my mind, Yuuko poked her head out of the door, looking at us with a expression that soon changed from puzzled, to shocked, to outright amazed. I wasn't aware that a human's eyes could go that big, but there she was, gawking at both of us like she was a deer in a pair of headlights.

Thankfully, Kenji continued on his rant, now so absorbed that it was doubtful anything would really stop him any time soon. Yuuko quickly motioned to me, so I informed my companion that I needed to go talk to Mutou about something and left him to his devices for the time being.

I ducked into the library, where Yuuko began to stammer and sputter, more flustered than I'd ever seen her. “WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?!” she half-whispered, half-shouted to me as she closed the door. “Who, Kenji?” I replied, dumbfounded. 

“Yes, Kenji! Wait, hang on. If he's here, then why hasn't he come to see me? Oh, what if he hates me?! Oh god, what am I going to do?” Yuuko continued on like this for a solid minute before I interjected.

“Yuuko, what's wrong?” She gave me a mortified look, apparently realizing her state, and pulled herself together quickly. “Nothing's wrong... I just need to figure some stuff out is all.”

“I'm not that dense, Yuuko. What's going on?” She looked at me pensively and finally decided to tell me the whole story: how she and Kenji had met and dated, how she had confessed to him, and how he had left her that night.

“That... doesn't really sound like Kenji, to be honest. He might be crazy, but he's not a jerk.” I shook my head, thinking as best I could with an almost sobbing Yuuko next to me. I patted her on the back and tried to calm her down, to no avail. “Well, it was him! Kenji Setou! I'll never know why he did it, but he did!”

Yuuko's face cleared up almost instantly as she realized something. She looked at me, almost in a panic, and said “Um... I hate asking other people to help me, but darn it I need to know! You're his friend, right? Why don't you ask him why?”

Friend might be stretching it, but alright. “I'll ask him, but I've got a better idea: would you want to ask him yourself? I could probably get him to come here or somewhere else, maybe you guys can talk it over.”

“B-but he hates me! I just know it! He can't stand the sight of me! That's why he left!” She continued on a tangent of different put-downs, falling further into a depression. “B-but... I'll never get over him if I can't face him, I guess.”

Yuuko shot up, apparently coming to some realization.

“Alright. I'll do it.”


	3. Shock & Awe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fated encounter. Hisao becomes an accessory and Kenji almost has a heart attack, for once. We also learn the origin of the scarf.

“Are we there yet, man?”

I sighed loudly, still leading Kenji down the street to the park near Yamaku. Thankfully, the plan had worked out fine so far: I was to lead Kenji to the park, telling him something or another to get him to come with me, then Yuuko would take over the rest.

“Almost. I'll let you know when we get there,” I said, still dragging him. It was almost unbelievable that Kenji couldn't notice where we were, but here we were, almost to the park.

“Alright, we're here. Hang on, I need to go take care of something at the Shanghai. I'll be back in a bit.” I left him hanging, feeling kind of bad about the whole situation, but knowing it'd be for the best. I ducked into a nearby bush to watch and make sure Kenji didn't try anything too crazy.

\--

“Hisao?” Dude, I don't see the door. Where are we? YOU TRICKED ME, DIDN'T YOU YOU BASTARD! THIS ISN'T AN ARMY SURPLUS STORE! FUCK YOU!” Kenji continued to rant for quite some time

Yuuko turned around and approached the rambling Kenji, looking at him sadly. He had changed so much; his hair was a mess and he looked like he'd had no sleep in the last week. But he was unmistakable; that was her Kenji all right.

“... K-Kenji?”

It was Kenji's turn to be terrified. He froze up, slowly turning to see the last person he expected to be standing right in front of him. Absolutely dumbstruck, he backpedaled, almost falling over himself. “Y-Y-Y-Y-YUUKO,” he stammered, almost unable to form a coherent thought. “But... you... HOW?!”

Yuuko froze, looking at the ghost from her past, unsure of how to start. She started to slowly walk toward him, still as shy as ever.

“Hi...” she whispered, once she was close enough for him to see her. She trembled, almost terrified to finally be confronting the man who hurt her. She stepped closer, reaching down and taking his hand in hers, looking straight into his bespectacled eyes.

They stood like this for what seemed like an eternity, with Yuuko staring at Kenji intently, and Kenji being too terrified and dumbfounded to form a coherent response. When he finally broke the silence, he said the only thing he could think of: “H-hi... Long time no see...”

Yuuko stared into his eyes, stammering lightly as she tried to form a response. She shook harder, looking at him first with sad, then confused, hurt, and finally, angry eyes. To be forgotten and cast aside for so long by someone she loved, and then to say something like that to her? It was almost unforgivable. An anger built up within her, one she had not felt in a very long time, if ever.

Yuuko lost it. She looked up at him with an anger that seemed to come from elsewhere. “That's it? 'Long time no see'? You up and leave me in the middle of the night, I hear nothing from you for MONTHS, and all you have to say to me is that?! Where do you get off, Kenji Setou?!”

Kenji looked absolutely terrified; he might not have seen Yuuko in quite some time, but he remembered one thing: Yuuko wasn't the type to get angry. If she was mad, there was a damn good reason for it, and nothing would snap her out of it any time soon. He scratched his head, stammering over his words as Yuuko continued to seethe at him. “I... Uh” was all he could manage before Yuuko cut him off again.

“And that's the worst part about all of this! You couldn't even bother to face me, to tell me you didn't want me anymore, or to even mail or call me! You just up and ran, ran off like a...” Yuuko hadn't the energy in her anymore. She sobbed uncontrollably, resting her head on his shoulder and beating on his chest with her unoccupied hand.

Kenji mulled on the situation as she cried, looking back to that day. At the time, he had seen it simply as a self-preservation maneuver; his energy had been sapped by what he thought was a feminist technique designed to disable him for brainwashing. Since then, he had dedicated his life to fighting the threat of Feminist tyranny, recruiting what few people he could to the cause.

And even since then, he just kept running, even going to such lengths as to steal books from the library to avoid the woman he once perceived as a potential Feminist threat.

The fact that he'd rather steal something and go out of his way to avoid her made Kenji consider another possibility. One he, oddly enough, never considered. Too swept up in his own rhetoric, he never even thought about this simple thing:

What if Yuuko actually cared about him?

Kenji's eyes burst open as he had an epiphany. He realized, finally, after all this time what he had done wrong. This woman before him had cared deeply about him, and even though he cared just the same, he cast her aside. From her perspective, he used her and just tossed her away. Of course, that was never his intention, but just the same, he screwed up. Big time.

After wrestling his hand from Yuuko's grasp, he wrapped both of them around the crying woman, looking solemn and defeated. Blushing heavily, he spoke. “Y-yuuko, I fucked up. I-... I just fucked up. I left you alone that n-night, and never even b-bothered to call you.” He stammered as he tried to collect himself. “B-but I know now that I was wrong to not consider your feelings. I'm... I'm sorry...”

She looked up at him, tears still in her eyes, and said, “You could have at least called me, told me what was wrong, instead of just casting me aside...” Her head rested against his shoulder.

“I know. And I'm sorry I didn't.” Kenji slowly stroked Yuuko's hair as she cried, the tears soaking in to his trademark scarf.

Yuuko quieted for a second, realizing that she recognized that scarf. For some inexplicable reason, despite his apparent lack of care for her, he was wearing the same scarf she had given him on that day.

“You're... wearing my scarf?” She mumbled into his chest, just barely loud enough for him to hear it.

“Yeah... Yeah, I am,” he replied to her.

Silence again, as they both thought for a moment. Kenji looked down at Yuuko and stuttered. “Y-you know, y-you're the apple of my eye, right”

Yuuko looked up at him incredulously. “That's the cheesiest thing I've heard all day,” she told him as she struck him playfully with her fist.

She hugged him tightly, her tears finally subsiding. “So...” She stammered, now back to her usual self. “Can we, y'know, try again? One more time?”

“I-I guess... You name the time and the place, and I'll be there,” Kenji replied, smiling down at her. Yuuko replied, “Okay then. Saturday night, seven o'clock, my place. We'll go to the amusement park, okay?”

“Alright, it's a date”. Kenji hugged her one last time and they parted ways, both of them the happiest they'd been in a long time.

A bush rustled nearby as Hisao removed himself from it. He set off back towards the school, hands in his pocket, looking rather pleased with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://i.imgur.com/O2CtD.jpg
> 
> Hi, hope you cried. I can't remember for the life of me who drew that for me, someone from Mrs. Crispy's group on Steam years ago.


	4. Drawing Treaties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward kids being awkward together. Yuuko clears the air about a years-old question.

Purse, phone, keys, wallet, money.

“Okay, I've got everything,” I mutter to myself as I check my belongings once more, trying to get dressed in time for Kenji's arrival. I sped about the apartment in an attempt to gather my clothing, still excessively nervous about tonight's date. Granted, I've not seen him for the better part of a year, but I wish I could calm down a bit. I put on what little makeup I own and continue trying to prepare myself for the night ahead.

“Okay, green top with black pants. He'll like that, right? They match, right? I think... Oh god, why is this so frustrating!” I grumble, almost panicking. Damn it, why can't I calm down? I notice my hand shaking and take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves as I pull the top on, then the pants. I look in the mirror and adjust the top a bit. It's a somewhat low-cut top I've had for ages, but never get a chance to wear. I calm myself somewhat again, still extremely anxious about being on a date with Kenji for the first time since the incident. “Wait... where's my stuff?”

Purse, phone, keys, wallet, money.

'Okay, good. Everything's still here,' I think, now a good deal calmer. I pull my socks and shoes on and tend to my hair, putting it in a short ponytail and combing the rest of it straight. My hands were surprisingly steady as I put on the finishing touches.

*Knock*

I hear a loud knocking coming from the door. 'Must be him' I think, getting nervous once again as I reach for my belongings.

Purse, phone, keys, wallet, money.

I open the door to see Kenji standing there, his usual half-smile on his face, still wearing that dumb old scarf I gave him ages ago.

“Sup,” he says to me. 'Sup'... Well, some things never change I guess. I close and lock the door behind him, taking his hand into mine. We walk for a while, hand in hand and enjoying the silence, before one of us speaks. “S-So, how's life?”

Nice one, Yuuko. I sigh inwardly as Kenji replies, “Fine. Life is life, y'know? Trying to put down the revolution, as always.” I sigh again; I guess Kenji is still on about this whole conspiracy theory of his. I quietly listen to his ramblings about feminists and conspiracies, slowly mustering the courage to ask him something.

“K-Kenji... This whole feminist thing... You don't think I'm... one of them, do you?”

We stop for a moment and Kenji turns to face me, looking at me with that same, serious look he always has, seemingly analyzing me for a moment before he finally replies. “No. You're one of the good ones.” He smiled at me; a rarity. “If you weren't, I wouldn't be here right now.”

We continue to talk as we make our way to the bus stop, Kenji thankfully dropping his ramblings for the time being. As we walk, I lose myself in the conversation, finally managing to relax a bit.

“And that Misha girl, the one with pink hair... She's really very nice, but she's so loud! She's always yelling, even in the library, and always manages to completely ignore me asking her to keep quiet... I don't know sometimes, Kenji.” I always manage to open up more to Kenji. I guess it's part of what I like about him.

He nods and replies, “Yeah, she's annoying. One of those Student Council chicks. Y'know the other one, that blue-haired one? She's got the nerve to never talk to me, ever. Her lackey just relays it to me instead. The gall of some people.”

“Uuuh... Kenji? She's deaf.”

“... Wait, if she's deaf, then why does she wear glasses?”

I look at him incredulously and decide to stop trying. We finally reach the bus stop, waiting in silence on the bench for the bus. Sure enough, it comes quickly enough, the bus driver smiling down at us and tipping his hat as we drop our money in the little coin machine. We choose our seat and spend the ride in relative silence, simply enjoying each other's company.


	5. On the Front Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun, unease and fear at a carnival. Kenji finally mans up for once.

July 20th, 2008. 1800 hours.

I stretch as we sit on the bus, the lumbering machine slowly making its way to the local carnival. I am still wary about the place; never been there before. Worried about what threats it poses. The way Yuuko described it to me, it sounds like an interesting place. Lights, sounds, food and games... I'm not much one for relaxing, but it sounds nice.

I must admit; this is all still a strange concept to me. After the events of last year, I still have trouble seeing her as a woman and not a feminist. Mind you, I've pondered the situation heavily; discussed it internally over many a whiskey-filled glass. She seems harmless enough, but as my father always said, “fear the quiet ones”. That's why that Ikezawa girl scares me. You never know what's going on in their head.

I don't see Yuuko as a threat, though. It's odd for someone like me to let my guard down, but she's just... She's Yuuko. She doesn't seem like she's ever meant me, or any other man, harm. Even after that horrible night, I don't think I really ever thought of her her as a feminist agent.

I guess the big question is, do I actually care about her? I mull it over for a while and come to a conclusion: there's gotta be a reason I wear this silly scarf everywhere, right? I definitely still care about her. That much is clear. I just need to decide if I'm willing to put myself out there for her and run the risk of her stabbing me in the back.

Maybe I'm making a mistake letting my guard down, but maybe it's a mistake worth making. Besides, I'm impervious to her feminine wiles. Worse comes to worse, I can always escape like I did before.

There are more important things to do, after all. For instance, I should catch her up on current events. Maybe I can get her to help us if I can explain to her how much of a threat the evil feminist forces are.

~~~~~

After what seems like an eternity, we finally arrive at our destination: the carnival. Nothing fancy; just some old rides and a few game booths. Kenji and I walk around for a bit, looking at the different games and booths, playing a few games and just having a good time.

Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I've seen Kenji really relax since he left. It's refreshing to see him actually enjoying himself as we make smalltalk, strolling around the small park and enjoying the atmosphere.

After a while, we grab some food and sit down for a rest, eating and talking up a storm, making up for lost time. Our conversation is short-lived however, as a small brown-haired boy makes his way to our bench, calling Kenji's name.

“Oh, shit, Takashi. What's up?”

~~~~~

Oh, shit. Takashi.

Well, this changes things. One of my many Brothers in Arms, Takashi Maeda has been a faithful and strong ally to our battle for a while now. This... this could end badly. See, Takashi doesn't know about Yuuko and I. For good reason. The leader of the anti-feminist movement cavorting with a woman? It'd be scandalous at best, and completely undermine my authority at worst.

I apologize to Yuuko and bolt up to intercept him, all the while thinking about what I'll say to him. “What's up, bro? What brings you out this far?”

“What's up? I'll tell you what's up! Why are you 'fraternizing with the enemy', Kenji? I thought you were hardcore against the ladies, man.” Takashi ribs me with his elbow playfully and gives me a shit-eating grin; the kind you'd expect to see a feminist flash you before the death squads descended on you from above, rappelling down from the rafters to take you prisoner and haul you off to th-

“Oi, Kenji. Wake up.” Takashi swats me across the head lightly, knocking me out of my imaginative and well-written daydream sequence. I look at him and rub my head lightly. I rebound, quickly formulating a decent excuse for spending time with a woman.

“Sorry, man. Just thinkin'. I used to know her, yeah? And we had some shit go down a while back. She's not a Feminist, or at least I don't think she is, man. Plus, I figure she'd be useful in the upcoming Upheaval. Might be able to get us some intel.” A terrible lie. I feel kinda bad, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...

“Dude, Yuuko couldn't infiltrate her way out of a wet paper bag. Well, if you think she'll be useful, I guess that's good enough for me. Hell, I'm kinda glad to see you spending some time with a woman that's not trying to kill you. They're not all evil, y'know.” He winks at me and pats me on the shoulder. “Go get her, tiger.”

That went well.

~~~~~

Kenji walks over and talks to him, and while I can't make out the full conversation, I distinctly recognize a few words: “Woman”, “Feminist”, “Upheaval”, and so on. I mean, I know this whole movement is important to him, but he doesn't even bother introducing me to this Takashi guy...

Finally, after a couple of minutes, their conversation ends and Kenji makes his way back to me, apologizing for leaving for so long. I forgive him and keep eating, thinking back to how things were before. Why is he so distant? Why does he insist on going on about this conspiracy theory of his constantly instead of letting me talk about myself? He's changed; that's for sure. I wonder about getting him to open up as we make our way through the carnival, settling on a small roller-coaster ride for the time being.

After a few goes on the ride, we step off and take a walk around again, checking out some of the games. I don't win any (No surprise; I'm not too good at the things), but somehow, Kenji actually manages to win me a large stuffed bear, which I'm now stuck carrying around the carnival. Not that I don't appreciate it. Heck, if anything, I'm surprised. I might have to ask him how he did that some time.

~~~~~

You might be wondering, “How in the hell did a half-blind kid with glasses thicker than Hisao 'Master of Romance' Nakai manage to win at the infamous Milk Bottle game?”.

Answer? I'm just good like that.

Yuuko points this booth out to me and mentions this big brown bear she thinks is cute. Silly thing, really. Damn doll looks like it was stitched together by a kid in a sweatshop. But hell, if it makes her happy, why not? I step up and throw a 1000 yen note down on the table.

It's go time, motherfucker.

I get 10 balls. 10 tries to not fuck this up. I know where the bottles are, and I know where the top of the top bottle is. Kind of. Just gotta hit it, right?

First throw. Swing and a miss. I repeat this a couple of times until I finally hear a “Clink”. “Close one, buddy.”

Son of a bitch. Fifth and sixth ones whiff it, and seventh one finally connects, one of the bottles coming down. He resets it and I aim a bit lower, aiming for the middle of the stack, or at least where I think it is.

Miss. I think that one actually almost hit the guy. Damn it.

Alright. Crunch time, right? There's this movie I saw ages ago where one of the guys told his bowling buddy to imagine the pins were someone he hated. I can't exactly see the “pins”, but it's worth a shot, right?

I thought for a second about who I'd imagine. I only had two shots left, so I had to make this count. Just then, it came to me. The kingpin. The leader of the whole damn movement to turn that school into a hive of Feminist scum and villainy.

That fucking pink-haired girl.

I imagine that idiot laugh she has, that damn “Wahaha~” thing she does, and hurl the ball dead center, toppling all the bottles at once.

You should've seen the look on that asshole's face. Kinda wish I had, too.

~~~~~

No, I appreciate it all right. It was sweet of him, really. I just don't know why I'm stuck lugging the thing around now. You'd think he'd be the gentleman, but I guess not. I wonder if he's really that interested in me, honestly... He DID apologize kind of quickly back there at the park. Maybe... Maybe he's just doing this for my sake...?

I shake the thought from my head for the time being and continue on with him, taking his hand in mine as he continues to prattle on about his theories. I know they're important to him, but some times I just want to tell him to shut up and enjoy what time we have together...

Yeah, right. Like that'd ever happen.

We continue our walk for another hour or so until, having finally exhausted the other possibilities, we come to the ferris wheel. It's worth noting at this point that I am pretty well terrified of heights. I'm not sure why. I just am. Kenji seems to want to do it, though, so why not?

After what feels like the longest line of my life, we finally arrive at the front, ready to board the gondola. I climb in behind Kenji and take a seat, gripping on to the bars next to me for dear life. Enclosed or not, I don't want anything to do with this. At all.

The wheel lurches, making my heart skip a beat as we slowly ascend, the ground falling out from under us far too fast and yet far too slow. As we ascend, I keep my eyes firmly fixated on Kenji, trying my best not to look down or outside at the scenery around us.

Stop.

The gondola lurches slightly as the wheel stops for a moment. Despite the look of terror on my face, Kenji starts on about how the government is being subverted by the Feminist movement and how his masculinity is in danger and oh God, I don't think I can take much more of this...

Lurch.

The wheel starts up again, and as we ascend I try my best to block out Kenji's inane ramblings, only serving to stress myself out even more in the process. We finally reach the top of the wheel and, predictably, stop.

Don't look down.

Don't look down.

Don't look down.

Oh shit.

As if something out of a bad movie, I reflexively look down anyway, seeing the swaying ground beneath me and feeling my dinner churn in my stomach.

“Yuuko, you alright? You're being kinda quiet.” Kenji finally notices my predicament, and, composing myself, I reply with a short “Y-yes. I think I'm fine”.

“Okay then. So, as I was saying...”

That's it. I can't take both of these at once, and I can at least do something about him.

“K-Kenji... C-can you please b-be quiet? I... I don't do well with heights, and...”

Kenji finally stops, looking at me through those insanely thick soda-bottle glasses of his. I look at him as his slight smile turns sour quickly, looking concerned for me for the first time since he apologized to me.

I did the only thing I could think to do. I stood up, somehow ignoring the swaying of the gondola as I leaned forward and placed a hand on his cheek, bringing his face to mine and kissing him deeply.

I stayed there for a moment as we shared our first silent moment since I met him at my apartment, his shocked countenance quickly relaxing, his arm wrapping around my shoulders and holding me there for a good minute or so.

I sat down next to him, catching my breath and resting my head on his shoulder, enjoying the silence for what felt like an eternity.

“Kenji, I know this whole conspiracy thing is important to you, but... Well, I'm... I'm kinda w-worried that you're not enjoying yourself, y'know? It's just... You're not here just for my sake, right?”

Kenji looked at me, somewhat sad... almost shocked, I'd think. “See, I've actually thought about that a bit. I wondered that myself a few times already.”

“The way I see it, I'm the leader of the anti-feminist rebellion. By all logic, I shouldn't even be here right now. I should be avoiding women like the plague, either because of my position or because you might drug me, toss me in the back of your car, and take me to a holding camp to be processed as a prisoner of war. If I didn't care about you, I doubt I'd be willing to take a risk like that.”

That... that actually makes perfect sense, in a really strange way.

I lay back next to him and relax, getting comfortable as the ride slowly descends to the ground. For the first time all night, I finally relax, closing my eyes and enjoying his company, and the silence, for the time being.

I don't know why, but I feel much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm proud of myself for this one. I think it's really cute. This whole thing is really cute. I hate my own writing, but this is nice.
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/3m5Rn.jpg


	6. Armistice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A truce is called and the war ends, at least for now. Kenji's actually pretty smooth when he tries.

Yuuko's apartment is still a mess; books and papers strewn about, random pieces of clothing and coats tossed aside after a long day, pens and pencils laying everywhere... Mind you, I'm not one to talk. At least there's a method to my madness. See, if your place is clean, everything's in it's place and whatnot, it makes it easier to find your shit, right? That just makes it easier for anyone -else- to rifle through your belongings, too. I know where my belongings are in my room, and no one else does. It's safer that w-

I lose track of things and Yuuko has to bring me back, as usual. She drags me over to her couch, kicking a few things off of it and inviting me to sit down. She heads over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of wine and some glasses. "Want a drink?" she says, plopping down on the couch and offering me one of the glasses. Eh, I'm not much of a wine guy, but why the hell not? I take the glass, take a gulp of the fruity liquid, and lean back, wrapping an arm around her and snuggling up to her for warmth.

She leans up and turns on the TV. Nothing specific; just some random program. More background noise than anything. Time passes quickly, with us drinking most of the bottle of wine before long. I'm definitely feeling it, but even more surprising is the fact that Yuuko doesn't seem to be much worse for wear than I am. The last person I'd expect to have tolerance. I chuckle a bit and close my eyes, enjoying her company and the relative silence of her apartment. Just me and her. Not a feminist for miles.

I think back to last year, when we'd first met at the Shanghai. I rarely ever went there, mainly due to that noisy pink-haired nutcase and her apparently-deaf best friend. It's a nice place, but not really my kind of thing. I'd gone down to the town to buy some supplies and something just kind of dragged me in there. To this day I can't really explain it. Some men would call it fate. I just think I was hungry enough to take the risk of Crazy McDrillhair and Sgt. Hakamichi being there. To my luck, the place was relatively empty. That's when I saw her.

That's when I saw the woman I would fall in love with.

It still sounds crazy in my head. I hate feminists. I, as a rule, am not fond of women. But... Hell, when I saw her... I didn't much care anymore. Those freckles, that bewildered look on her face... She was downright adorable. She led me to a seat and asked me for my order. I stammered out that I'd just have a sandwich and some coffee and she left me to my thoughts.

Over the next few weeks, I continued to come to the Shanghai, even when the Wonder Twins were there. Yes, she was worth tangling with those freaks. We actually got around to talking after a while, and despite my... less than stellar skills, she started to relax around me. She seemed a lot like me in a weird way; loved books, history... She'd even listen to my rants about the women at the school and the secret feminist cabal they were forming. Most people just looked at me funny.

I guess that's part of why I fell in love with her. She always cared. Even if it was something that had nothing to do with her, she always cared enough to listen to my problems and help me if I needed it. She was always willing to listen to my impassioned rants, even if she honestly didn't give a damn about the feminist uprising. She did, mind you, but that's beside the point.

I'm not sure of a lot of things right now. I'm not sure if we'll last, if she'll get freaked out and bolt, or if the feminist conspiracy will take her from me, and I'll have to fight a horde of women to get her back.

I'm sure of one thing, though. I'm sure I love her. And to throw that away again would be a crime.

Yuuko once again yanks me out of my thoughts by resting her head on my shoulder, cozying up to me and sighing quietly. She's still a vision, that's for sure. Maybe a bit worn out from work and school, but still beautiful. I rest a hand on her head and idly play with her long hair, stroking it slowly and enjoying her presence.

She finally breaks the silence. "Y'know, I thought I'd lost you forever. I honestly thought I'd never see you again, or if I did you'd be on the arm of some other lucky woman... I guess I'm just lucky that I finally got to see you again."

She knows how to make a man flustered, that's for sure. I remember what little advice Hisao gave me before I headed over and muster my courage. "I.. I guess I-I'm lucky too, y'know? I didn't think about it, but I m-missed you too." C'mon, boy. Think... "And I don't see any o-other women. A-all I see are f-feminists. Plus, y-you're..." almost there, man... You got this! "Y-you're the l-light of my l-life, Yuuko."

Fucking -genius-.

She looks at me funny, obviously overcome by the sheer romance of the situation. "I take it back. -That's- the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Oh. "And the sweetest. I love you, Kenji." The smile on her face is amazing. The most gorgeous thing I've ever seen in my life.

I feel myself slowly gravitate toward her. My eyes close as our faces draw nearer. Every last pore in my body, every last bit of logic is screaming at me to stop this right now; that I'm giving myself to a potential threat. That she could ruin everything we've worked for over the last four years.

I can't hear a damn bit of it over my heart pounding in my ears.

Heh. Love, huh? I like it.

We finally kiss, our lips meeting and settling into each other as my arms wrap around her back, holding her close to me.

The nuke could drop right now and I wouldn't feel a damn thing.


	7. Sleeping With the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, literally, he's sleeping with her. It's cute. Read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's porn in this chapter. You can skip to the next one if you don't want to read that. I understand.

Her bed is still far too comfortable. We settle into each other once again, kissing lightly and enjoying each others' warmth as we let everything just flow away. Nothing else matters but her and I, and the rest of the world can kiss my ass.

(Porn starts here if you're sensitive like that)

Yuuko was never the aggressive type, but she manages to roll me on my back and straddle my hips, still kissing me the whole while. Alcohol's a wonderful thing, I guess. I run my hands through her long hair as we kiss, the booze relaxing me quite a bit, helping me along as I lightly poke her lips with my tongue. She jumps at the contact but opens up anyway, snaking her tongue out to meet mine.

We kiss passionately for a while, just laying there and enjoying the act, running our hands all over each other. Over a year of pent-up frustration is released in one short moment as I flip her over and take the initiative. My hands run up her sides and under her shirt, feeling her soft skin, goosebumps forming as I trace her curves. Surprisingly, she does nothing to stop me as I snake my hands out and begin unbuttoning her shirt from the bottom up. Working my way up slowly, button by button, I finally finish unfastening the garment. I run my hand up her sides again, enjoying the soft feel of her flesh as she finally realizes what I've been doing for the past few minutes.

She breaks the kiss and covers herself with her hands, preventing me from seeing anything. The only thing I can think to ask is "You alright?". Smooth.

"F-fine. Just a reflex..." she whispers to me, removing her hands and blushing brightly as I look down on her. A simple white bra with just a touch of lace around the edges of it. Simple, plain. Just like Yuuko. But to me, it's the sexiest thing I've ever laid eyes on.

We quickly return to kissing, my hands tracing her sides again. She reaches up and pulls my scarf off, tossing it to the side and working on my shirt now, showing quite a bit more initiative than I'd expect. I'm not complaining, mind you; it's nice to see her showing interest for once. She quickly works mine off and I toss it with the scarf, all the while not breaking our kiss. Now that's dedication.

She tosses hers in the quickly-growing pile of clothing and we resume our make-out session. I quickly chance a feel at her still-clothed chest and rub the soft mound, eliciting a small gasp from her. Surprisingly, she actually reaches behind and removes the bra for me, giving me a look at her well-endowed chest. Christ, I think they've actually gotten -bigger- since I last saw her. I cup her mounds in my hands, massaging them lightly as we kiss, enjoying the sound of her light moans into my mouth.

Neither of us seem too content to take our time, so I quickly move my hands to her pants, removing the button and sliding them off her long legs. It doesn't take much longer for us to strip each other of the remainder of our clothing, now laying nude in her bed, feeling each others' bodies clumsily, exploring forgotten territory. I've gotta say, I definitely missed this. Even if we only actually did it once, I missed it a lot.

I snake a hand down her stomach and feel her, my hand quickly becoming quite wet. I guess she's good to go, too. I reach over to my pants (almost falling off the bed... Again, smooth move) and grab my wallet. Hisao's advice came in handy after all. I procure the small foil square, quickly tear it open and apply it to my shaft. She lies back and spreads her legs for me, almost inviting me.

She's tighter than I remember. I guess a year without sex does that to you. I slowly thrust into her, feeling her tense up from my intrusion. I try to calm her down a bit, kissing her lightly on the neck and rubbing her sides, doing anything I can think of to relax her some.

Quietly, she whispers, "O-okay, I'm ready." I nod, then start off slow, driving into her and kissing her deeply. The pace doesn't last long with her thrusting against me and, eventually, we start going pretty fast. Clumsy, but fast. It's still damn enjoyable, and our lack of skill is made up for with sheer enthusiasm.

I look deep into her eyes for a moment and see something I haven't seen in ages. Something I now realize that I missed desperately. I see love. Her love, for me. Love and caring and lust and all these different crazy emotions that remind me just how much I love this woman. That sounds unbelievably cheesy, but it's the truth.

Taking a moment to take in the scene around me, I start to notice the little things. The way the moonlight shines off of her sweat-drenched skin, how her hair is splayed out behind her, forming a kind of background to the most perfect picture I could imagine, how her back arches more and more every time I thrust against her...

I lose what little control I had left and bottom out inside her, causing her to moan loudly, first in surprise, and then in pleasure. She throws her hands around my back and digs her nails in, hurting just enough to feel a bit good. I lock lips with her again, doing everything I can to hold out longer. Math problems, literature quotes... Everything but thinking about the vision of beauty writhing in front of me.

Eventually, nature wins out, and I moan loudly into her mouth, climaxing hard. My erratic motions set her off as well, causing her legs to grip me tightly around my waist, her moans coming out louder and louder as she rides the waves of her orgasm out.

Finally, completely spent, I collapse against her, both of our chests heaving. We lie like this for a while, simply basking in the afterglow. The moon shines in from the window, illuminating the whole scene and making her look like she's glowing. It's absolutely beautiful.

I slowly pull out, hearing her moan a little as I do. Completely spent in more ways than one, I flop down next to her, trying to catch my breath. After a few minutes of rest, I manage to work up the energy to remove the spent condom, tossing it in the wastebin next to her bed.

She grabs a blanket and wraps it around us, curling up next to me and throwing her arms around me in a big hug, resting her head on my chest and smiling wide at me.

"That was... I forgot how much fun that was..." she says breathlessly to me. Her warm body feels nice. I definitely missed this part. She looks up at me with those beautiful eyes and smiles warmly. "I forgot how tired you always look. Your eyes are always so dark... It's kinda cute~". Heh. Shaman's eyes. I smile back and give her a quick peck on the forehead, wrapping my arms around her and slowly falling asleep, exhausted from the day's events.

How the hell did I get this lucky?


	8. Victory Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenji's trying, bless his heart.

I stir lightly as the sun hits my face. W-why am I naked? And why do I have a headache? I quickly piece last night together in my mind: I returned here with Kenji, we had a few drinks, he confessed to me, and we... Well, it was a pleasant night, that's for sure. I haven't slept like that in months.

My mind wanders back to the events of yesterday. He hasn't changed much over the years, but I guess I like that. For the most part, he's still that paranoid high school student who wandered into the Shanghai, looking lost and almost terrified at the prospect of being in public. It was kind of cute, in a way.

I've never been too good with guys, but I really felt myself opening up to him. I even started to enjoy his rants about feminists and conspiracies and such. I've never understood much about them, but it was nice to see Kenji in his element. Kenji at his Kenji-est, I guess.

It didn't hurt that he was pretty darn adorable, too. Ruffled-up hair, Coke-bottle glasses, constant look of determination on his face at the simplest tasks... He was kind of cute in a really odd way. I still can't believe he would want me over any other woman at that school, but I can't say I'm comp-where is he, anyway?

It's about at this time that I realize my bed is, once again, empty. My heart skips a couple of beats at the thought of losing him again, before I notice two things: the pile of clothing in the corner that obviously belongs to him, and the smell of... burning?

I shoot out of bed, dragging the sheet with me for cover as I hear a loud curse. I make it to the kitchen and see a warzone around me. Boxes littered about, failed experiments sitting in pans or dishes around the stove, and at the epicenter, Kenji Setou himself, having donned an apron, stands.

"Damn it, why's this gotta be so ha-oh shit." He finally notices me. "U-uh... Well, y'see... It was H-hisao's idea! He said I should cook you breakfast in the morning! But I can't figure out how the hell to cook the eggs without them turning black! And I swear, those pancakes were on the ceiling when I got here!"

... It's too early for this. I head back into my room and get dressed to help him clean up his mess and finish breakfast.

I love that man.


End file.
